thepaintedman rates this:

This is Ed. Ed is a rapper and an artist. He is what Hip Hop is all about. Independent. Hard working. DIY ethic. Ed E. Ruger, aka E-DOT, is an important piece of the Carolina Hip Hop scene. His rap battles made him famous in the underground scene, but his 2006 debut brought what was simply a battle rapper to the status of underground champion of Carolina. Sharing a stage with KRS One, The Clipse, Wu-Tang Clan, Coolio, Black Sheep, The Yin Yang Twinz, and Public Enemy (among others), E-DOT is no joke in the Hip Hop scene.

Ruger’s skills have been noticed, having won the 2009 Grind Hard Award at the North Carolina Underground Music Awards and being named The Triad’s Best Hip Hop Act of 2009 by Yes! Weekly. Many have dubbed him “The Voice of Carolina”. He’s recorded with Bun B of UGK, Stat Quo, and Haystack. He’s received extensive play on satellite radio, even being selected as a featured artist on Sirius Channel 40. For an underground artist that releases his own material, his accolade far outreach the typical unsigned rapper.

In short, Ed E. Ruger’s new album, Lights Out!, is thumping, in-your-face Hip Hop that would please fans of street smart rappers like Jadakiss and Jay-Z. While not my favorite style of Hip Hop, I’ll bet I’m in the minority.

thepaintedman rates this:

This is keen. keen was/is a founding member of Subliminal Orphans, a Philly Hip Hop crew that laid down phat rhymes over bumping jazz/rock/soul music. Though the crew is currently on hiatus, with members working on different projects, they always rocked the Philly clubs, with both rock and Hip Hop fans.

thekeenone, or keen, still lays down great rhymes over great music and brings her friends to the dance, including Ill Bill, B-Real, Young DE, and Sen Dog. True, she’s left her beloved Philadelphia and fled to the evils of the West Coast and medical marijuana, but we can’t fault her for that… at least not entirely.

keen’s free album, thegetaway, features tons of great tracks of the type of Hip Hop that I dig on most, rock tinged, guitar laden, and as funky as can be. My favorite tracks, you ask? The opener, “Keep Movin’”, “Stoner’s Prayer” (featuring B-Real), and the closer, “We Don’t Understand”. Fans of The Roots will dig on thekeenone, this I can promise.

While both Ruger and keen put out get Hip Hop tracks and solid albums, keen is more the type of stuff I dig on. It’s more groove oriented and less in-your-face. Both are artists with Hip Hop in their hearts and souls and I would recommend either one to fans of the craft. Stylistically different, but at the root, the 15 tracks on “Lights Out!” and the 11 tracks on “getaway” share a fundamental base, the love of Hip Hop music and culture.

With this, I close out Hip Hop Week on TPM and thank you for joining in. Mike of More on Sorrow is the winner of the Mixtape Monday giveaway… he wins a Hip Hop prizepack. Thanks again for sharing in TPM’s love of good Hip Hop.

Pictured below is Beefy w/ his buddies in Optimus Rhyme. Who is Beefy? Let’s find out.

Beefy? What’s up with the name?

I’m a big guy. Someone was trying to make fun of me on a message board once and called me MC Beefy Bee and I liked the Beefy part, so I used it. Then it just kinda morphed into Beef Thompson over the years. I likes it. How about you?

I appreciate that, I am also quite a large fellow… So, besides your name, tell the readers a little bit about you.

I’m a nerdcore hip-hop artist from Southeast Washington. I’m very much into my Xbox and iPhone and have been a comic book nerd for years. I’ve put out 2 full albums and a bunch of free EPs that you can get at my website and I’ve done shows with people like MC Lars and YTCracker in Seattle, Portland, and even Amsterdam. I’m also very sexy. Don’t deny me. You’ll just look foolish.

I have a couple of your albums, personally my favorite song is your cover of Frontalot’s “Nerdcore Hip-Hop”… not sure why exactly, I just dig it a lot. In fact, I like it a lot more than the original. Is Frontalot an influence on you, who else in the Nerdcore scene do you consider an influence on what you do?

Front is definitely an influence. I can’t write like him at all, but he’s cleaver with his concepts and is an amazing performer. I look up to the big acts in Nerdcore like Lars, mc chris, and YTCracker. I’m also a fan SJ the Wordburglar for his wordplay and punchlines. My favorite band and biggest influence is Optimus Rhyme, a Nerdcore Seattle act that sadly broke up recently. It sucks. Hard.

Nerdcore aside, who are some you you favorite hip hop artists?

I grew up on Notorious BIG and Jay-Z so that was my base. I’m a big fan of the first few Gym Class Heroes albums before it got really radio-friendly. Big fan of Lupe Fiasco and early Kanye West and Eminem. That’s honestly about it.

How about other music?

I’m a White Stripes fan. I don’t know if it makes me less manly but I dig Regina Spektor. Tenacious D is the greatest band in the world, but everyone already knows that. I’ve listened to Sublime’s 40oz to Freedom a million times and was in love with the first Gnarls Barkley album. I don’t know if that last one counts as hip-hop or not though.

Good stuff, Sublime is likely my favorite band of all-time and that is their best album, hands down. On the topic of other musical styles, what type of music is the scariest? I just re-read Lords of Chaos, about the Black Metal scene, but I find myself still most afraid of most Country music.

I don’t like music that seems like it’s pissed off at me. I don’t want my music to scream at me. I don’t get that whole scene. If it works for some people that’s cool, just not my cup of tea. I don’t know if I’m really afraid of it since it’s all just a big act when their on stage. I think balls deep Christian music scares me the most. Those people really really believe.

Christian music can indeed be a bit frightening. So let’s move beyond music for a minute, shall we? As a Nerdcore artist, I thinks it’s safe to assume that you are a self-proclaimed nerd (as am I). What are your nerdiest traits and tendencies?

Like a lot of nerds I can carry entire conversations using nothing but movie and TV quotes. It’s like speaking a different language. Besides that I don’t think there’s really one particular thing that is my nerdiest quality. I have a <3 and a Bullet Bill tattoo, so I'm clearly hardcore. Oh, I know, I've made albums worth of songs about things like Street Fighter and board games. That's pretty nerdy.

I actually got a Star Wars Father’s Day card from my 7th month old son, how awesome is that? You have any kids?

My girlfriend has a year and a half old daughter we call Nugget and she gave me a Batman chocolate box for Valentine’s Day. It might have been the greatest day ever. I’ve been involved with the little one since she was 5 months old so I get all the joys of changing diapers and cleaning up after her but lack the ability to make decisions or call her a daughter, so it sucks a little but I loves her so I allow it.

That’s really cool, great V-Day gift… so back to music… or rather, hip hop feuds. I believe the reason Nerdcore isn’t more prominent in the national scene is that there are no publicizedhardcore beefs and feuds like in every other sub-genre of hip hop. I am requesting that you start one now, by dropping me a short freestyle about a Nerdcore artist of your choice.

How out of the loop you are sir. Nerdcore started with nothing but beefs and fighting. I should know because it seems like I started 90% of them. It’s actually just finally calmed down. And I already made a diss song called “Diss Missed” that was on my Private Dick EP. People dug it. Not so much the people dissed in the song though.

Well, I guess I’m a late bloom in the Nerdcore scene… care to start a feud with me?

Fuck you. I hate you! Feud Status: IT’S ON!

Well, that’s just too much for me sir! This interview is over! By the way, take care and keep in touch.

I change my mind. I love you. Let’s be BFFs. Feud Status: BFFs!